Tag Archives: Accessible Toilet

Accessible Restroom Coat Hook: FAIL

Accessible coat hooks should be a maximum of 48″ above the floor. Sometimes I think the accessible coat hooks are mounted by a 6′-3 man who mounts them at his eye level!

A few days ago I used the accessible restroom at a private club. I was sitting on the potty wondering if a 6′-6″ man had mounted the accessible restroom coat hook.

Had I been a wheelchair user, a person of short stature, a child, or someone with a limited range of motion, my Breast Cancer Month purse would have been on the floor!!

Sometimes business owners forget that accessible stalls are for anyone with any disability! Invisible hidden disabilities like shoulder injuries, elbow injuries, arthritis, MS, tendinitis, gout and nerve damage may limit a person’s ability to reach a hook that is mounted out of range.

As a designer, I know that coat hook detail dimensions are always part of commercial construction documents. In the 1980’s, I worked as a designer in the Walt Disney World Architecture and Design Department. Even before the ADA Code was law, their standard practice was to always mount restroom door coat hooks midway down the toilet stall door, in order to deter pickpockets from reaching over the door to snatch a purse.

Over the years, I have spent many days on construction sites. I know that typically an installer is handed a box of coat hooks and told to mount them. He rarely takes the time to read the plans. Armed with a screw gun, he goes toilet stall door to toilet stall door just mounting the hooks at a height that works for him. During “punch list” time, if the punch-out person isn’t familiar with the ADA code, they are just checking off boxes that there is a coat hook! Even if a business was built to the 2010 ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Code, it’s still a good idea to double check the details.

Accessible toilet coat hooks mounted too high are the type of little 2010 ADA Code violations that can really frustrate a person with a disability and inspire ADA Code litigation. It might seem like a tiny detail, but if you are a person living with a disability, who needs to remove clothing or hang items while using the toilet, it becomes a BIG deal!

Let’s all do our own small part TODAY to make the world a little more accessible. Grab a screw-driver and check the coat hooks in your business restrooms. If they are too high, please move them down. A maximum height of 48″ above the floor meets the 2010 ADA Code for accessible restroom coat hooks. Together we can show consideration to our All-Ability guests and employees.

Disability Smart Solutions is committed to working with organizations and companies who believe in diversity and social inclusion. We are an ADA Accessibility consulting company providing resources to businesses that serve the unique needs of both the 50+ aging population and people living with disabilities.

While parenting a special needs teenager and caring for an elderly parent, she learned the harsh realities of all-ability customer service and architectural barriers to access.

Susan knows that it's one thing to explore a building as an able young person, but it's another to shop, dine, visit the doctor, or vacation as a person living with a disability. Mobility, comprehension, perception, hearing and sight can change in a split second.

Susan believes that exemplary customer service and ease-of-use in Places of Accommodation are key to creating long-term productive employees and life-long happy customers.

His photos star in our "Spot the Service Dog" presentation, where we explain the differences between Services Dogs and Emotional Support Animals.

Serge wants everyone to know that for Places of Public Accommodation:
1. A service dog vest is like a Rock Star t-shirt. It is just informational clothing.
2. The Department of Justice and the ADA do not acknowledge any "Service Dog Certificates."

The ADA only allows two legal questions for businesses.
1. Is the dog or tiny horse a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog or tiny horse been trained to perform?

A business may ask any animal, including a Service Dog, to leave their facility for bad behavior.

Call Susan to schedule a Service Dog seminar for your organization. 407-310-3663

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion.

The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services and telecommunications.

Susan P. Berry, NCIDQ, National Council for Interior Design Qualification

National Council of Building Design Certification, Susan P. Berry, CPBD

Disability Smart Solutions is an ADA Consultancy and a service of Susan Berry Design, Inc.
DSS does not practice Law, Architecture, Commercial Interior Design or Engineering.
DSS recommends always using a State Licensed professional for Construction Documents.
DSS recommends always reviewing Disability Discrimination with an Attorney.
Fees and Prices quoted on website are samples and subject to change at any time.
The comments and observations provided within documents provided by Susan Berry Design, Inc. and/or Disability Smart Solutions (SBD/DSS), are for general information & compliance purposes only. SBD/DSS are not licensed attorneys or architects in the State of Florida. We do not claim to be agents, representatives, or licensees of the DOJ (Department of Justice), ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) or any other state or government agency. Any information provided is not intended as professional legal advice, nor does it supersede government authority. Susan Berry Design, Inc., Disability Smart Solutions and/or their assignee's, do not assume any liability for information.

Disclaimer:
ADA Consulting and ADA Inspectors are non-regulated professions.
The International Code Council provides a Certified Accessibility Inspector and Plans Examiner program. Disability Smart Solutions has this certification.
The Department of Justice does not certify or endorse any individual or organization as ADA consultants, nor does the DOJ approve or endorse any products or designs as being in compliance with the ADA.
We DO NOT provide Certificates of ADA Compliance, as we have never been in a facility that maintained 100% ADA compliance.